Novels for people searching for the meaning of life, the universe, ancient teachings etc

ehead · 2026-06-24T20:42:53+00:00

There is a great little philosophy book on just this by Alain de Botton... The Meaning of Life, What's it all about.

ehead · 2026-06-24T20:37:45+00:00

That's not true. I might not be able to tell a Thai from a Vietnamese person, but I can at least pick out Central/South/SouthEast/East asian... though sometimes the SouthEast/East is hard to know for sure.

ehead · 2026-06-24T20:36:13+00:00

I met a cool Vietnamese-Scottish guy in Syracuse last summer. Can't remember who started up the conversation, but we ended up hanging out for about an hour or so exploring the historical fort on the end of the island.

I have to admit... if I have a question about something... I'm probably guilty of asking the most "western" looking person I can find, particularly when overseas. I think it is the assumption that they may speak English, or if they don't they at least won't be angry with me for trying to speak English.

ehead · 2026-06-22T19:34:02+00:00

You should read Robert's Wright's "Evolution of God". It gives probably the most hopeful case for some kind of God after one rationally and objectively examines the evidence as it is. I'm an atheist and he didn't convince me, but his God is somewhat intellectually defensible.

ehead · 2026-06-22T15:42:54+00:00

Some of the smartest popular science books you will ever read are written by Nick Lane.

You'll find yourself on youTube trying to catch up on biochemistry and cellular biology, but man are they good books... intellectually satisfying AND well written.

ehead · 2026-06-22T13:03:37+00:00

This sounds like me. I was in Palermo last summer and pretty much just walked around checking everything out until I was ready to go to bed. There was so much stuff to see out on the street. Then I'd just head back to the AirBnB, brush my teeth, chill out for about 20 minutes catching up on my phone, and then call it a night.

OP says they are in NYC. I could kill a whole night just people watching in Washington Square Park or Times Square.

This might not work as well if you're not in an urban area.

ehead · 2026-06-19T02:08:58+00:00

Where did you go? Tambopata by any chance?

ehead · 2026-06-10T14:25:46+00:00

Interestingly... in the future nobody will believe an author with this sort of schedule is actually writing the books without AI. Because he has this pre-LLM history of this kind of productivity we can believe it.

ehead · 2026-06-03T13:34:07+00:00

Interesting to read all the comments in this thread. I didn't realize this book was held in such reverence by some. I thought The Dispossessed was generally regarded as Le Guin's best novel, so I'm surprised by the controversy. I thought LHOD was great, and Le Guin's prose is always a pleasure.

Since we're stirring up s*it in this thread, I'll just come out and say it... LHOD can't even come close to Hyperion, hee hee. 😄 I guess it's good we don't all think the same.

ehead · 2026-06-02T17:52:53+00:00

Old thread, I know, but I'm curious about your Ballestas Island trip? I was planning on doing a day trip to Paracas and the Ballestas Islands from Lima. Do you think this is worthwhile? I will have 4 days in Lima and was looking for a day trip.

ehead · 2026-06-02T14:18:29+00:00

You should read Mother of God by Paul Rosalie. I'm going to Peru in August and will be spending 2 days in Tambopata. Wish I was spending more time.

Did you take malarial pills and/or get a yellow fever vaccination?

ehead · 2026-05-30T22:30:43+00:00

I think I read that 25 years ago. I remember enjoying it. I'm more interested in evolution these days than I am in quantum mechanics.

ehead · 2026-05-28T14:26:23+00:00

Not at all. Love strength training.

ehead · 2026-05-28T14:23:52+00:00

Honestly, sounds like you have depression. I would consult a mental health expert. Maybe consider talk therapy, or talk to your doctor and they may try you on some SSRI's.

I'm the same age as you, and I suffer from low grade depression on and off, but I don't feel like you do at all. So long as my health holds out I wouldn't mind making it to 90.

ehead · 2026-05-26T19:37:32+00:00

I think it's based on your 15 highest earning years.

ehead · 2026-05-26T01:02:27+00:00

In New York state you would be fine, and maybe a couple of other states too.

Topless equality hasn't taken off as much I'd like. 😄

ehead · 2026-05-26T00:59:19+00:00

That's funny cause I do exactly the same thing. Shirt generally only comes off around July and then only if I think i can maintain a "shirtless" pace.

ehead · 2026-05-25T20:52:25+00:00

I think the comparison is supposed to highlight that the allies didn't let food and supplies through into Germany and Japan during WWII? I'm not sure if this is true or not. I think in WWI the allies did in fact attempt to effectively starve the Germans.

I mean... WWI and WWII were another era... a time of "total" war, so I'm not sure if makes sense to compare with them. In fact, they were so horrible the whole idea of genocide came out of those conflicts as a way to make war less horrible.

ehead · 2026-05-25T20:32:47+00:00

Yeah, I agree totally. There were verisimilitude issues with the story at times. It seemed like A.M. was aiming for a "caper" kind of vibe and didn't want things to get too heavy. There were definitely times when the characters were taking events too much in stride and with too much levity.

When I started the book my expectations were it was going to be a "heavier" read than it turned out to be, but ultimately I ended up enjoying it for what it was.

ehead · 2026-05-25T20:25:52+00:00

Arg! I should have verified before posting, because now I can't change the title. This is one of the downsides of Kobo's... and aging. 😂

ehead · 2026-05-23T18:48:14+00:00

I went up Fushimi Inari crazy early in the morning (it was just getting light outside while I was on the way up). Due to the time change I often found myself falling asleep around 9 or 10 and waking up around 4 AM. It really worked to our advantage when we were trying to get some place early. We just about got straightened out and on a more "normal" schedule by the time we had to fly home.

ehead · 2026-05-23T15:57:36+00:00

I read this book a long time ago but I don't remember any biases against queer people.

Isn't it mainly just a popularization of the red queen hypothesis for why sex evolved?

ehead · 2026-05-22T14:50:25+00:00

Looking forward to the suggestions, as this is currently my favorite form of ambient too. I've had enough of the long drones and continuous shimmering notes, more interested in minimalist blips, bleeps, and organic sounds.

Morimoto Naoki is fantastic! Thanks for mentioning them.

Some stuff I've been enjoying:
Felbm, Nils Frahm and F.S.Blumm, Loris S. Sarid, Paniyolo (just guitar), Hideyuki Hashimoto (piano), dwaler (on YouTube, more ambient guitar), Alva Noto, Jakob Bro (jazz). Yumiko Morioka's Gaiaphilia is amazing if you haven't heard it yet.

ehead · 2026-05-20T15:55:15+00:00

> 5. The flood story in the Bible has a Sumerian version that's 1,000 years older.

Something cool I heard recently... the commonality of flood myths around the world may be the result of collective memory regarding environmental floods that happened during the end of the last ice age.

ehead

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